Integrated humidifier chamber and lid

ABSTRACT

A blower unit for use as part of an integrated blower/humidification system is described. The blower unit has an outer casing, which encloses and forms part of the blower unit, the casing including an air inlet vent. The blower unit further includes a humidifier compartment for receiving a humidifier unit with a separate gases inlet and outlet, the compartment having a heater base for heating the contents of the humidifier unit. The compartment also has a blower inlet port which aligns with the humidifier unit inlet in use, the blower providing a gases path through the casing between the inlet vent and the inlet port. The blower unit also includes a fan for providing a pressurised gases stream along the gases path, and a power supply unit for powering the fan. The gases path is routed over the power supply unit in order to provide a cooling air flow.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/053,352, filed on Oct. 14, 2013, which is continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/513,752, filed on Oct. 14, 2009, which is anational stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International PatentApplication No. PCT/NZ2007/00328, filed on Oct. 31, 2007, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/864,501, filed Nov.6, 2006, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a gases supply and gases humidificationapparatus, particularly but not solely for providing respiratoryassistance to ‘patients or users who require a supply of humidified gasat positive pressure for the treatment of diseases such as ObstructiveSleep Apnea (OSA), snoring, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD) and the like. In particular, this invention relates to a gasessupply apparatus which has an integral humidifier chamber, so as to forma combined assisted breathing unit and humidifier.

Description of the Related Art

Devices or systems for providing a humidified gases flow to a patientfor therapeutic purposes are well known in the art. Systems forproviding therapy of this type, for example CPAP therapy, have astructure where gases at the required pressure are delivered from anassisted breathing unit or blower unit to a humidifier chamberdownstream from the blower. As the gases are passed through the heated,humidified air in the humidifier chamber, they become saturated withwater vapour. The gases are then delivered to a user or patientdownstream from the humidifier, via a gases conduit. Humidified gasescan be delivered from a modular system that has been assembled fromseparate units (that is, a system where the humidifier chamber/heaterand the breathing unit/blower are separate items) connected in seriesvia conduits. An example of a system of this type is shown in FIG. 1.However, it is becoming more common for integrated blower/humidifiersystems to be used, as shown schematically in FIG. 2. A typicalintegrated system consists of a main ‘blower’ or assisted breathing unitwhich provides a pressurised gases flow, and a humidifier unit thatmates with or is otherwise rigidly connected to the blower unit. Thismating occurs for example by a slide on or push connection, so that thehumidifier is held firmly in place on the main blower unit. An exampleof a system of this type is the Fisher and Paykel Healthcare ‘slide-on’water chamber system shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,624. Avariation of this design is a slide-on or clip-on design where thechamber is enclosed inside a portion of the integrated unit in use. Anexample of this type of design is shown in WO 2004/112873. Thisspecification describes a blower, or flow generator 50, and anassociated humidifier 150. The blower unit 50 and the humidifier unit150 are brought together in use and connected as described in paragraph00119 of this document. The humidifier chamber, or water tub (698, 699,700) is described in paragraphs 00132 to 00141. It should be noted thatthe water tub can either be filled through the passage 722 (described indetail in paragraph 00126), which is located on the rear wall of thehumidifier unit 150, or by removing the tub lid 700. The process forremoving the lid is described in paragraph 00136. When the lid of thehumidifier unit (lid 648) is closed, this pushes the water tub intoposition.

WO 04/112873 also describes a power supply cavity, shown as item 65 inFIG. 6, and described in paragraphs [0096] and [0097]. The compartmentis described as being vented to atmosphere (if necessary) for cooling.FIG. 7 shows the power supply board 124 and the cavity 65. As describedin paragraph [00100], air enters the blower through an air inlet 84,communicating with passage 85 above the power supply cavity 65, with thepassage then leading to the muffler cavity 134 in which the fan unit 90sits. It should be noted that as shown in FIG. 6, the power supplycavity 65 is insulated from the air supply passage 85 and the mufflercavity 134 by two walls, with an airgap between them. Using this airflow to cool the power supply board is not discussed in thisspecification.

A further example of this type of design is shown in U.S. Pat. No.7,096,864. The humidifier chamber 17 is partly enclosed in a humidifierunit 16, which is push-fitted to a separate blower or CPAP unit 1.

In the devices shown in WO 2004/112873 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,096,864, theblower unit and the humidifier unit are both discrete, ‘table-standing’units, pushed together to mate pneumatically and electrically.

A further variation of the integrated blower and humidifier type ofdesign is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,180. A water container orhumidifier chamber 66 has a lid 72. The lid 72 of the humidifier chamber66 is located in use underneath a cover 94 that covers the entire toppart of the unit. Cover 94 and lid 72 can be removed simultaneously by auser passing their fingers and thumbs through the holes 92. Two separateair streams (a humidified stream and a dry stream) are mixed in thehousing of the device to create one air stream that is provided to auser (Column 6, lines 23-34). It is not intended that any of theelements such as the lids or the chamber are connected together withfasteners or similar, so that the unit can be disassembled easily(column 6, lines 46-55).

A humidifier chamber with a lid is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,423.Lid 11 closes the top of the chamber 2.

The advantage of these types of integrated devices is that generallythey are more compact and discrete than a modular breathing circuit thathas been assembled from separate units. A compact and discrete unit isparticularly advantageous for home use units, where bedside space islimited, and where a user may also have to transport and set up theirown personal unit elsewhere, for example if staying overnight away fromhome. With compact and integrated units, the set up is generally easierfor a user. Generally, home units are used for the relief of sleepapnoea. A mid-use point will usually be during the night, during a userssleep cycle. If refilling or similar is required during use, a user willneed to wake up to perform this operation. Having been woken up, theuser is required to remove the humidifier chamber from the integratedunit, refill it, then return it into position and if necessaryreassemble the unit. Humidifier chambers are often sealed units, andcannot be easily opened. That is, they are scaled except for the inletand outlet ports. Chambers of this type are filled through either theinlet or the outlet port of the chamber. This refilling operation can betime-consuming, difficult to perform at bedside, and can require a levelof concentration that a user may find difficult to muster in the middleof the night. It is especially important to minimise disruption to ausers sleep pattern if they suffer from sleep apnoea, as the intent ofthe therapy is to minimise disruption to their sleep patterns, and anyadditional factors that might disturb them are therefore unwelcome.Although chambers with lids are known in the art as described above,these are generally not designed with the intended purpose that the lidthat it can be easily removed during use, for example for refilling thechamber. Humidifier chambers with removable lids are generally notdesigned in such a manner that simplifies this operation. It isgenerally intended that the lid will only be removed when the unit isnot in use, to access the inner surfaces of the chamber for e.g.cleaning or similar.

Further problems can arise when filling or cleaning these units, asnearly all of the respiratory humidification systems currently availableuse water as a humidification medium, and cleaning will almost always becarried out with a water based cleaner. Blower and humidifier units areoperated and controlled electrically, and problems can occur if theelectronic parts, such as external user controls, are not protected. Ifthe controls are not protected, any accidental water spillage that takesplace can potentially short-circuit the controls and disrupt theoperation of the system.

Control knobs that are designed in such a manner that the opportunitiesfor spillage to cause damage are known in the art.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,435 describes a control knob for an oven that ismounted on a continuous horizontal plate, and which can be moved aroundon the plate. Magnetic actuators under the plate and in the knobinteract, with Hall sensors detecting the changes in the magneticfields. A control unit receives the signals from the Hall sensors andalters the output parameters of the stove accordingly. US 2005/0205395describes a control knob arrangement where magnetic elements areembedded in the body of a knob 2, with their magnetic fields interactingas the knob is rotated with e.g. rotary field sensor 25 (a Hall sensorin the embodiment described). The knob sits in a recess 16 in a panel14, and is held in place on the panel by retaining pegs 11 that passthrough an open aperture at the bottom of the recess 16.

As outlined above, it can be difficult to concentrate and carry outcomplex operations in the middle of the night (or during the middle of ausers sleep sequence), or if a users sleep pattern has been disrupted.It is therefore considered important, or at least preferred, that theblower and humidifier controls are as simple and intuitive as possible.Also, that the number of steps necessary to make adjustments or carryout an operation is minimised.

One of the advantages of an integrated unit is that generally they arecompact and discrete, and are particularly suited for home use as their‘footprint’—e.g. on a bedside stand or similar—tends to be less thanmodular units. It is therefore particularly advantageous if the powersupply unit can be built into, or located inside, the housing orexternal shell of the integrated blower/humidifier, in order to keep the‘footprint’ of the unit as small as possible. However, if the powersupply pack is external—located outside the housing or shell of theventilator/humidifier unit, the heat can dissipate to atmosphere easily.If the power supply unit is located inside the shell or housing, heatfrom the power supply unit cannot dissipate as easily. The ventilator or‘blower’ units that form part of these integrated, compact units draw aconsiderable amount of power. The power packs or power plants used toprovide power to the motor or drive units usually generate aconsiderable amount of heat as a by-product of this power generation.That is, the power packs and associated circuitry (for example,transformers or similar components) become hot as a consequence ofpowering the operation of the ventilator/humidifier. As the temperatureof the power supply increases, it works less effectively, and more poweris drawn to compensate for the drop in efficiency, leading to a greaterheat output, and a corresponding further drop in efficiency—a negativefeedback loop. It can be seen that it is important to prevent the powersupply unit from overheating, or at least from heating up to atemperature that is over the upper limit of an optimum operating range.This can be difficult to achieve if the power supply is enclosed in theexternal shell of an compact unit that is specifically designed to be assmall as possible, with internal free space minimised. This can beespecially important if the size of the power supply itself has beenminimised, and the airgaps between components have been minimised,potentially leading to further difficulties with heat dissipation.

US 2007/0048159 discloses a blower unit that includes electroniccircuitry (referred to generally as electronics seating portion 120). Anair inlet 140 is shown directly below this electronic circuitry. It isnot clear from the specification whether the electronic circuitry isheat-producing circuitry—for example, power circuitry, which generallyproduces a considerable amount of heat, or if it is control circuitry,which generates much less heat and does not generally require cooling.It is also unclear from the specification how the structure between theair path and the electronic circuitry is configured. The wall betweenthe components and the air flow could potentially be thick enough toinsulate the electronic circuitry from any cooling effect produced bythe air flow.

Users of domestic breathing assistance apparatus (such as a CPAP device)may occasionally wish to travel and spend the night (or longer) awayfrom home. It is normal for the breathing assistance apparatus to becarried in some form of bag or carry case. Many users prefer to have theoption of carrying their device as hand luggage e.g. if flying, so thatthey are assured of arriving at their destination with the device. Thisnecessitates a compact. carry case (as well as a compact device). Rigidor hard carry cases are known, which allow the user a convenient safemethod to travel with their device. One of the problems with any type ofcarry case is that when the device is placed inside is the userforgetting to empty the water from. the humidification chamber.Spillages of water from the chamber can occur if the unit is packed andcarried without the contents of the chamber being emptied.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a breathingassistance apparatus which goes some way to overcoming theabovementioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public orindustry with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly in a first aspect, the invention may broadly be said toconsist in a blower unit for use as part of an integratedblower/humidification system for providing heated humidified gases to auser, comprising:

an outer casing, which encloses and forms part of said blower unit, saidcasing including an inlet vent through which air from atmosphere canenter said casing in use,

a humidifier compartment adapted to in use receive a humidifier unit ofthe type which has a gases inlet and a gases outlet, said compartmentincluding a heater base adapted for use with said humidifier unit, saidcompartment further including a blower inlet port adapted to provide agases path between the interior of said casing and said humidifier unitinlet in use,

a gases path through said casing between said inlet vent and said blowerinlet port,

a fan unit contained within said casing and adapted to provide apressurised gases stream along said gases path in use,

a power supply unit located within said casing and adapted to in useprovide power to said fan unit and said heater base,

said gases path routed over said power supply unit in order to provide acooling air flow.

In a second aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in ablower unit for use as part of an integrated blower/humidificationsystem for providing heated humidified gases to a user, comprising:

an outer casing, which encloses and forms part of said blower unit, saidcasing including an inlet vent through which air from atmosphere canenter said casing in use,

a humidifier compartment adapted to in use receive a humidifier unit ofthe type which has a gases inlet and a gases outlet, said compartmentincluding a heater base adapted for use with said humidifier unit, saidcompartment further including a blower inlet port adapted to provide agases path between the interior of said casing and said humidifier unitinlet in use,

a gases path through said casing between said inlet vent and said blowerinlet port,

a fan unit contained within said casing and adapted to provide apressurized gases stream along said gases path in use,

a power supply unit located within said casing and adapted to in useprovide power to said fan unit and said heater base,

said power supply unit enclosed within a power supply sub-housing andsaid gases path routed so that it passes over at least two walls of saidpower supply sub-housing in use in order to provide a cooling air flow.

In a third aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in anintegrated blower/humidification system for providing heated humidifiedgases to a user, comprising:

a humidifier unit adapted to contain a volume of water and also adaptedfor use in conjunction with a heater base such that said volume of watercan be heated, said humidifier unit having a gases inlet port, a gasesoutlet port and a top fill aperture,

an assisted breathing unit having an outer casing and including ahumidifier compartment into which said humidifier unit locates in use,said humidifier unit substantially enclosed within said compartment,said compartment including a heater base, said assisted breathing unitfurther including an inlet vent open to atmosphere on said outer casing,a blower inlet port, a single gases path running between said inlet ventand said blower inlet port, and a means to provide a pressurised gasesstream along said gases path, in use said blower inlet port and saidhumidifier gases inlet port in gaseous communication, said gases streamentering said humidifier unit via said humidifier gases inlet port andexiting said humidifier unit via said humidifier gases outlet port,

a connection means to provide said gases stream exiting said humidifierunit to a patient interface,

a lid unit, said lid unit adapted to close and seal said top fillaperture of said humidifier unit and to connect with said outer casingto hold said humidifier unit rigidly in position. relative to saidassisted breathing unit in use.

In a fourth aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in ahumidifier unit adapted for use in conjunction with an assistedbreathing unit that includes a heater plate, said humidifier unitcomprising;

a humidifier chamber that includes said top fill aperture, and a heaterplate that is adapted to contact said heater base in use, the wall ofsaid chamber having a gases inlet and a gases outlet,

an elongate inlet passage extending into said humidifier chamber fromsaid gases inlet, said entry passage including a first opening in thatend of said entry passage spaced from the wall of said chamber,

an elongate. exit passage extending into said humidifier chamber fromsaid gases outlet, said exit passage including a second opening in thatend of said exit passage spaced from the wall of said chamber,

said first and second openings aligned to face substantially verticallyupwards,

a baffle means located between said first and second openings andadapted to prevent air entering said chamber from said inlet passagefrom directly entering said exit passage.

In a fifth aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in anassisted breathing unit comprising;

an outer casing including a humidifier compartment into which ahumidifier unit can locate in use, said compartment sized and shaped tosubstantially enclose said chamber, said compartment including a heaterbase, said assisted breathing unit further including an inlet vent opento atmosphere on said outer casing, a blower inlet port, a single gasespath running between said inlet vent and said blower inlet port, and ameans to provide a pressurised gases stream along said gases path, inuse said blower inlet port in gaseous communication with a humidifiergases inlet port,

a connection means to provide said gases stream exiting said humidifierunit to a patient interface,

means for receiving and releasably engaging a lid unit that is adaptedto hold said humidifier chamber in position in said compartment.

In a sixth aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in anassisted breathing unit comprising;

an outer casing including a humidifier compartment into which ahumidifier unit can locate in use, said compartment sized and shaped tosubstantially enclose said chamber, said compartment including a heaterbase, said assisted breathing unit further including an inlet vent opento atmosphere on said outer casing, a blower inlet port, a gases pathrunning between said inlet vent and said blower inlet port, and a meansto provide a pressurised gases stream along said gases path, in use saidblower inlet port in gaseous communication with a humidifier gases inletport,

a connection means to provide said gases stream exiting said humidifierunit to a patient interface,

means for receiving and releasably engaging a lid unit that is adaptedto hold said humidifier chamber in position in said compartment.

In a seventh aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in anintegrated blower/humidification system for providing heated humidifiedgases to a user, comprising:

a humidifier unit adapted to contain a volume of water and also adaptedfor use in conjunction with a heater base such that said volume of watercan be heated, said humidifier unit having a gases inlet port and agases outlet port,

an assisted breathing unit having an outer casing and including ahumidifier compartment into which said humidifier unit locates in use,said humidifier unit substantially enclosed within said compartment,said compartment including a heater base, said assisted breathing unitfurther including an inlet vent open to atmosphere on said outer casing,a blower inlet port, a gases path running between said inlet vent andsaid blower inlet port, and a means to provide a pressurized gasesstream along said gases path, in use said blower inlet port and saidhumidifier gases inlet port in gaseous communication, said gases streamentering said humidifier unit via said humidifier gases inlet port andexiting said humidifier unit via said humidifier gases outlet port,

a connection means to provide said gases stream exiting said humidifierunit to a patient interface,

said breathing unit, said compartment and said gases path shaped andaligned to minimise the volume of said breathing unit.

In an eighth aspect, \the invention may broadly be said to consist in anintegrated blower/humidification system for providing heated humidifiedgases to a user, comprising:

a humidifier unit adapted to contain a volume of water and also adaptedfor use in conjunction with a heater base such that said volume of watercan be heated, said humidifier unit having a gases inlet port, a gasesoutlet port. and a top fill aperture,

an assisted breathing unit having an outer casing and including ahumidifier compartment into which said humidifier unit locates in use,said humidifier unit substantially enclosed within said compartment,said compartment including a heater base, said assisted breathing unitfurther including an inlet vent open to atmosphere on said outer casing,a blower inlet port, a gases path running between said inlet vent andsaid blower inlet port, and a means to provide a pressurized gasesstream along said gases path, in use said blower inlet port and saidhumidifier gases inlet port in gaseous communication, said gases streamentering said humidifier unit via said humidifier gases inlet port andexiting said humidifier unit via said humidifier gases outlet port,

a connection means to provide said gases stream exiting said humidifierunit to a patient interface,

a lid unit, said lid unit adapted to close and seal said top fillaperture of said humidifier unit and to connect with said outer casingto hold said humidifier unit rigidly in position relative to saidassisted breathing unit in use.

In a ninth aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a controlknob assembly that is operable by a user to generate control signals,comprising:

a mounting plate including a recess, below which associated detectormagnetic components are situated;

an operable control knob that is securable within the aperture of themounting plate, the control knob having:

a button that is resiliently depressible by a user between a restposition and an operative position, the button being biased toward thetest position and having an associated magnetic component(s) that isarranged to move with the button; and

a boss that surrounds the button and that is rotatable either clockwiseor anticlockwise about the button by a user, the boss having anassociated magnetic component(s) that is arranged to rotate with theboss; and

control circuitry that is arranged to detect depression of the buttonand/or rotation of the boss by sensing magnetic field fluctuationscaused by interaction of the magnetic components of the button and/orboss with the detector magnetic components situated below the mountingplate to generate control signals representing operation of the buttonand/or boss by a user.

In a tenth aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in acontrol system for an integrated assisted breathing and humidifier unit,said control system comprising;

a controller including controller memory, said controller controllingthe operation of said integrated assisted breathing and humidifier unit;

a display panel controlled by said controller; and

a user options selector, said controller responsive to changes in saidoptions selector.

In an eleventh aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in amethod for altering the control settings of an integrated assistedbreathing and humidifier unit having a controller controlling theoperation of said integrated assisted breathing and humidifier unit,said method comprising the steps of:

detecting the rotational position of a rotatable user options selector;

displaying, the currently selected option, based on the rotationalposition of said rotatable selector; and

detecting movement of said user options selector along the axis ofrotation of said selector, in response to said movement moving to aoption chosen mode for the selected option.

This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts,elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification ofthe application, individually or collectively, and any or allcombinations of any two or more of said parts, elements or features, andwhere specific integers are mentioned herein which have knownequivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such knownequivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually setforth.

The term ‘comprising’ as used in this specification means ‘consisting atleast in part of’, that is to say when interpreting statements in thisspecification which include that term, the features, prefaced by thatterm in each statement, all need to be present but other features canalso be present.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a user receiving humidified air from amodular blower/humidifier system of a known, prior art, type.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a user receiving humidified air from anintegrated blower/humidifier system of a known, prior art, type.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of theintegrated blower/humidifier of the present invention, which has aseparate humidifier chamber and assisted breathing unit that are shownwith the humidifier chamber in place within the blower unit ready foruse.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the blower unit of FIG. 3, with thehumidifier unit removed (not shown).

FIG. 5a shows a rear view of the blower unit of FIG. 3, with a sectionline D-D shown.

FIG. 5b shows a cross-sectional view along section line D-D of theblower unit of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the blower unit and the humidifier unitof FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic detail view along section line DD of theinternal structure of the blower unit.

FIG. 8 shows a cutaway view of the blower unit from underneath and tothe rear looking forwards, with detail of an air inlet duct, a powersupply and power supply sub-housing, a fan, and an air path through theunit shown.

FIG. 9 shows a cutaway view of the blower unit from underneath and tothe rear looking forwards, with the rearmost part of the blower unit cutaway to show detail of the air path around the power supply sub-housing.

FIGS. 10a and 10b show cutaway views of the blower unit from underneathand to the rear looking forwards, with FIG. 10a showing the blower unitwith the base and part of the rear wall removed, and FIG. 10b showingthe rear part of the blower cutaway further forward than the view ofFIG. 10a , to show detail of the air path over the power supplysub-housing.

FIG. 11a shows a cutaway bottom view of the blower unit of the precedingFigures, with the base removed.

FIG. 11b shows a schematic view of the blower of FIG. 11a , with the airpath and turbulence shown as the air passes firstly into the air inletduct, then over and around the power supply sub-housing, and then intoand out of the fan.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic line view of the blower unit underneath and tothe rear looking forwards, with the air path and turbulence shown as theair passes firstly into the air inlet duct, then over and around thepower supply sub-housing, and then into and out of the fan.

FIG. 13a shows a rear view of the humidifier chamber of the presentinvention, with a humidifier chamber lid and a locking handle shown inexploded view above the humidifier chamber, and a section line A-Ashown.

FIG. 13b shows a cross sectional view along the line A-A of thehumidifier chamber, humidifier chamber lid and locking handle of FIG. 13a.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic cross-section of part of the front of theblower unit.

FIG. 15 shows a preferred form of main menu that is displayed on adisplay panel of the integrated blower/humidifier of FIG. 3.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic view of the internal structure of thepreferred form of fan and motor that can be used in the blower unit ofFIG. 5 b.

FIG. 17 shows a partial view of the lid of FIG. 6, and a locking handleused to hold the lid in position, with the lid and locking handleseparated.

FIG. 18 shows a preferred form of carry case that can be used with thebreathing assistance apparatus of the present invention, closed andupright resting on its end base.

FIG. 19 shows a cutaway side view of the carry case of FIG. 18, restingon its side base, ready to be opened, with an integrated breathingassistance apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 3 located in the carrycase.

FIG. 20 shows a top view of the carry case of FIGS. 18 and 19, with thelid or top half not shown, and an integrated breathing assistanceapparatus of the type shown in FIG. 3 located in the carry case readyfor transport.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A schematic view of a user 3 a receiving air from a known (prior art)modular assisted breathing unit and humidifier system is shown inFIG. 1. Pressurised air is provided from an assisted breathing unit orblower 1 a via a conduit 41 to a humidifier chamber 2 a. Humidified,heated and pressurised gases exit the humidifier chamber 2 a via aconduit 21, and are provided to the patient or user 3 via a userinterface 4. The user interface 4 shown in FIG. 1 is a nasal mask,covering the nose of the user 3. However, it should be noted that insystems of these types, a full face mask, nasal cannula, tracheostomyfitting, or any other suitable user interface could be substituted forthe nasal mask shown.

A schematic view of the user 3 receiving air from a known, prior artintegrated blower/humidifier unit 5 is shown in FIG. 2. The systemoperates in the same manner as the modular system shown in FIG. 1,except that humidifier chamber 2 b has been integrated with the blowerunit 1 b to form the integrated unit 5.

The integrated blower/humidifier unit 6 of the present invention can besubstituted for the unit 5 of FIG. 2. The preferred form of theintegrated blower/humidifier unit 6 is shown assembled and ready for usein FIG. 3. The unit 6 has two main parts: An integrated assistedbreathing unit 7 (also known as a blower unit), having an outer shellwhich forms part of the breathing unit 7 and also encloses the workingparts of the assisted breathing unit—e.g. the fan, internal-ducting andthe internal control system; and a humidification unit 31 (described indetail below).

Assisted Breathing Unit

The preferred form of assisted breathing unit or integrated unit 6 willnow be described with reference to FIGS. 4-17.

The integrated unit 6 consists of two main parts: an assisted breathingor blower unit 7 and a humidification unit 31. The humidification unit31 is enclosed within the external casing of the integrated unit 6 inuse, except for the top part. The structure of the humidification unit31 is described in greater detail below. The blower unit 7 has an outershell which is a generally rectangular block with substantially verticalside and rear walls, and a front face that is angled slightly rearwards.In the preferred embodiment, the walls, base and top surface are allmanufactured and connected as far as possible to minimise the occurrenceof seams, and any necessary seams are sealed. This outer shell enclosesthe working parts of the blower unit 7, and forms part of the blowerunit 7. As shown in FIG. 4, a control knob 8 is located on the lowersection of the front face of the integrated unit 6, with a controldisplay 9 located directly above the knob 8. A patient outlet 25 isshown passing out of the rear wall of the integrated unit 6. In thepreferred embodiment, in use the free end of the outlet 25 faces upwardsfor ease of connection. However, the preferred form of patient outlet 25can be rotated to one side or the other to move or align it in a moreconvenient position for storage ox for a more convenient use position.The patient outlet 25 is adapted to allow both pneumatic and electricalconnection to one end of a conduit—e.g. conduit 21—running between theunit 6 and a patient interface—e.g. interface 4. An example of the typeof connector that can be used and the type of dual connection that canbe made is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,953,354. It should be noted thatfor the purposes of reading this specification, the patient interfacecan be thought of as including both the interface 4 and the conduit 21where it would be appropriate to read it in this manner.

In FIG. 3, a locking handle 22 is shown in position on the top surfaceof the integrated unit 6. The locking handle 22 is a separate item thatcan be unlocked and removed from the remainder of the integrated unit 6.The locking handle 22 includes a grip 30, adapted to act as a handle toallow a user to lift and carry the integrated unit 6, and also adaptedto enable the handle 22 to be rotated from a locked position to anunlocked position. The locking handle 22 can be releasably locked to theremainder of the integrated unit 6. The function of the locking handle22 will be more fully described below in the ‘humidifier unit’ section.

FIG. 4 shows the integrated unit 6 with the locking handle 22 removedand the humidification unit 31 not shown. That is, just the blower unit7 is shown. The top surface of the blower unit 7 includes a circularhumidifier aperture 1000, leading to an internal humidifier compartment11. The opening includes a rim 24 located around the circumference ofthe opening. In use, a humidifier chamber 12 is located within thecompartment 11. The humidifier chamber 12 will be described in detailbelow. The humidifier chamber 12 is in use fully enclosed inside thecompartment 11, except for the uppermost part. When the chamber 12 isdescribed as enclosed in the blower unit 7, it can be taken to meanfully enclosed except for the uppermost portion, as well as fullyenclosed including the uppermost portion.

The internal structure of the blower unit 7 will now be described withreference to FIGS. 4 and 5. A heater base 23 is located at the bottom ofthe compartment 11. The heater base 23 is mounted to the floor of thecompartment 11 in such a way that it has a small amount of elastic orcompression resilience. That is, it can be pushed downwards a shortdistance within the compartment, but will push back against anydownwards force that is applied. In the absence of any downwards forceit will return to its initial position. This can be achieved by springloading the base 23, or by any other of the methods that are known inthe associated arts. A blower inlet port 13 and blower outlet port 14are located on the wall of the compartment 11, towards the top of thecompartment 11. In the preferred embodiment, these blower ports 13, 14are aligned so as to mate with humidifier ports 15, 16 located on thehumidifier chamber 12 in use (described in detail below) so as to form ablower-to-humidifier gases route which allows gases to exit the blower 7and enter the humidifier chamber 12. It should be noted that other formsof blower inlet are possible. For example a conduit running between theblower unit 7 and e.g. the lid of the humidifier chamber 12.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the integrated unit 6 includes an inlet vent101 to draw air in from atmosphere. The integrated unit 6 also includesa mechanism for providing a pressurised air flow from the inlet vent 101to the humidifier chamber. This vent 101 can be located wherever isconvenient on the external surface of the integrated unit 6. In thepreferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, it is located on the rear faceof the blower unit 7. In the preferred embodiment, air is drawn inthrough the vent 101 by a fan unit 100 which acts as the preferred formof pressured air flow mechanism (described in detail below). The air isinducted or otherwise directed through the casing to the inlet port 13.In use, air will exit the main body of the blower unit 7 via the inletport 13 and then enter the humidifier chamber 12, where it is humidifiedand heated, before passing out of the chamber 12 through the outlet port14, which is directly connected to the patient outlet 25. The heatedhumidified gas is then passed to the user 3 via e.g. a conduit 21. Thepatient outlet 25 is adapted to enable pneumatic attachment of thepatient conduit 21, and in the preferred embodiment, electricalconnection at the outlet 25 is also enabled via an electrical connector19. A combined electrical and pneumatic connection can be useful forexample if the conduit 21 is to be heated. Electrical heating of aconduit such as conduit 21 can prevent or minimise the occurrence ofcondensation within the conduit 21. It should also be noted that theoutlet connection docs not have to be via the housing of the integratedunit 6. If required, the connection for the conduit 21 could be locateddirectly on an outlet from humidifier chamber 12. The preferred form andvariations can generally be referred to as connection mechanisms.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the inlet port 13 is offset. That is, theport is positioned facing into or out of the corner of the integratedunit 6 between the side wall and the front face. In contrast, outletport 14 is directly aligned with the rear wall of the integrated unit 6.It can also be seen from FIG. 6 that the circular compartment 11 issized to just fit within the generally square plan view profile of theintegrated unit 6. Offsetting the inlet port 13 towards the cornerallows a more efficient use of the space within the assisted breathingintegrated unit 6, and allows the size of the integratedblower/humidifier unit 6 to be minimised.

The locking handle 22 and the integrated unit 6 include a lockingmechanism for locking the handle 22 to the integrated unit 6. In thepreferred embodiment the locking mechanism is as follows: the rim 24includes two mating grooves 26 located just below the rim 24, spacedopposite each other on the circumference of the rim 24. More than two ofthe mating grooves 26 can be used if required. The grooves 26 correspondto an equal number of mating lugs 27 on the locking handle 22. Themating groove or grooves 26 have an entry point 28 on the rim 24, withthe main part of the groove 26 located slightly below the rim 24. Thelugs 27 are pushed downwards into the entry points 28, and the handle isrotated so that the lugs enter the main part of the grooves 26 to holdthe handle 22 in place. Different locking mechanisms can be used ifrequired.

Humidifier Chamber with Lid

The humidifier unit 31 will now be described in more detail withparticular reference to FIGS. 13 and 17.

In the preferred embodiment, the humidifier unit 31 is comprised ofthree main parts: humidifier chamber 12, lid 32 and locking handle 22(counted as part of the humidifier unit for the purpose of describingthe operation of the integrated unit 6).

The preferred embodiment of the humidifier chamber 12 is an open-toppedcontainer, with a heat conducting base. The chamber 12 is sized to fitsnugly within the compartment 11 on the integrated unit 6. That is, thechamber 12 is enclosed within the blower unit except for the open top ofthe chamber 12. A fully open topped chamber 12 is the preferred form.However, an alternative form of the chamber 12 could have a closed topsurface, and would include an opening on the chamber (not necessarily onthe top surface), sized appropriately so that a user can easily fill thechamber 12. The preferred form of chamber 12 with an open top, and thealternative form that includes a fill opening on the top are referred toas ‘open top’, or ‘top openings’ within this specification. The open topmay also be referred to as a ‘top fill aperture’. It should also benoted that when the humidifier chamber 12 is referred to as ‘enclosed’,or ‘substantially enclosed’ in relation to the integrated breathingassistance apparatus, this has the meanings defined above. The chamber12 is generally circular, but the lower part of the rear (relative tothe integrated unit 6) is flattened as shown in FIGS. 13a and 13b tocorrespond to a ledge 33 on the lower rear side of the compartment 11.This ensures that the chamber 12 will always be oriented correctly inuse. It should be understood that other methods of achieving the sameresult could also be used. For example, the chamber 12 and integratedunit 6 could include complimentary grooves and slots. The chamber 12 canalso include features such as a fill or level line if required. Thehumidifier inlet port 15 and a humidifier outlet port 16 are located inthe wall of the humidifier chamber 12, towards the top of the chamberwall These are positioned so as to align with the blower inlet andoutlet ports 13 and 14 when the humidifier chamber 12 is in position,forming the blower-to-humidifier gases route as described above. It ispreferred that the corresponding ports on the blower 7 and humidifierchamber 12 are shaped so as to minimise airgaps. A good seal ispreferred but not required. In the preferred form, the rim or perimeterof the chamber 12 includes a chamber seal 10, formed from soft siliconeor similar. When the chamber 12 is placed in position in the humidifiercompartment 11, the chamber seal 10 is pressed against the wall or wallsof the compartment 11, and the body of the chamber 12 and the seal 10ensure that the chamber 12 is scaled, so that air exiting the blowerthrough the port 13 cannot escape to atmosphere. This helps ensure thata pressurised airstream enters the humidifier chamber 12 in use. Ifrequired, a substantially unbroken ring of sealing material such as softsilicone can be added to the wall of the compartment 11 at or close tothe upper rim of the chamber 12, to form a compartment seal (not shown)instead of or as well as the chamber seal 10. In alternative embodimentsthe ports 13, 14 are surrounded by resilient sealing gaskets such assilicone gaskets to assist in forming a seal in use. If preferred, theresilient sealing gaskets around the ports can be used as well as thecompartment and/or chamber seals.

Air enters the humidifier chamber 12 through the humidifier inlet port15, and passes along a generally horizontal entry passage 34 towards thecentre of the humidifier chamber 12. Passage 34 is offset towards one ofthe front corners of the unit to align with the inlet port 13 asdescribed above. The air exits the entry passage 34 through a firstaperture or opening 200 in the centre of the humidifier chamber 12aligned facing upwards (that is, in the top of the passage). The air isthen directed into the main part of the chamber by a baffle 35. In crosssection, the baffle 35 is T-shaped, with a vertical central portion todeflect gases entering the chamber 12, and a substantially horizontaltop ‘umbrella’ portion 202, which is circular in plan view, as shown inFIGS. 6 and 13. Air is deflected by the baffle 35 as it exits thepassage 34, and then enters the main part of the chamber 12 where it isheated and humidified. The heated and humidified gases then enter anexit passage 36 on the other side of the baffle 35 through a secondaperture or opening 201, with the air passing through the exit passage36 to the chamber exit port 16 and then into the breathing unit outletport 14, and on to the user 4 as described above. It can be seen thatthe baffle 35 prevents air from the inlet passage 34 from directlyentering the exit passage 36 before it has been heated and humidified.The passage and baffle arrangement also serves the purpose of acting asa splash baffle as well as an air baffle. Water is obstructed fromentering the passages 34 and 36 if the chamber 12 is tilted while itcontains water. The umbrella portion 202 of the baffle 35 acts as ashield for the passages 34, 36, vertically occluding the apertures 200,201, so that when a user is pouring or refilling the chamber 12, theuser cannot directly pour into either of the apertures 200, 201. The topsurface of the passages 34, 36 also acts as a shield to prevent a userpouring water into the passages 34, 36. It is preferred that the exitand entry apertures 200, 201 in the passages 34, 36 face upwards, asthis helps to prevent water or liquid in the chamber splashing into thepassages 34, 36, or otherwise entering the passages 34,36 when thechamber 12 is tilted. The passages, 34, 36 and the baffle 35 can begenerally referred to as the baffle, or the baffle mechanism.

In use, the chamber 12 is positioned (in the correct orientation) withinthe compartment 11. The lid 32 is then placed on top of the chamber 12.The lid 32 is sized so that it will pass through the top opening of theintegrated unit 6, with the lower surface of the lid 32, close to theedge, sealing onto the upper edge of the chamber 12. In the preferredembodiment, the lid 32 has an. edge perimeter portion that is alignedfacing downwards. This has a central recess that is filled with asilicone seal 70 or similar which is pressed onto the upwards facingedge of the chamber 12 when the lid 32 is in position. This arrangementis shown in FIG. 13. In FIG. 13 the handle 22 is also shown verticallyabove the lid 32 (separate from the lid 32). The lid 32 is sized to fitinto the recess shown in the handle 22 (if the handle shown in FIG. 13is pressed vertically downwards onto the lid 32). If required, the twocontacting portions of the lid 32 and the chamber 12 can also be shapedto improve the seal between the two. The central part of the lid 32 isbulged upwards so that it will stand proud of the baffle 35. The lid 32is placed in position on the chamber 12 once the chamber 12 has beenfilled. The locking handle 22 is then positioned above the lid 32. Ashas been described above, lugs 27 on the circumference of the lockinghandle 22 engage with complimentary grooves 26 on the rim 24. In orderto engage correctly, it is necessary in the preferred embodiment for thelocking handle 22 to be pressed or pushed downwards, pushing both thelid 32 and the chamber 12 downwards onto the heater plate 12. The heaterplate 12 will give slightly under the downwards pressure, allowing thelocking handle 22 to be rotated so that the lugs 27 engage with thegrooves or slots 26. Once the downwards force is removed, the chamber12, lid 32, and locking handle 22 will be pressed upwards by thereaction force from the heater plate 12, with the assembly held in placeby the lugs 27 and slots 26. In the preferred embodiment, the slots 26are shaped so that the locking handle 22 cannot be rotated to disengagethe lugs 27 without pressing the locking handle 22 downwards slightlyfirst. The locking handle 22 also includes the grip 30, which in thepreferred embodiment is an arched member passing from one side of thehandle 22 to the other, sized and shaped so that a user can pass atleast some of their fingers underneath, so as to manipulate the lockinghandle 22 and to carry the integrated unit 6 if necessary. In thepreferred embodiment, the locking handle 22 and the lid 32 are separateitems, as described. If the handle 22 is used without the lid 32, thechamber will not be sealed, and the heated, humidified air will escapeor vent to atmosphere before entering the exit port 14. Any air thatdoes enter the port 14 will be at a lower pressure than required, due tothe leaking. To ensure correct operation, the lid must be used to sealthe chamber in the preferred embodiment. This ensure that there is lesschance of incorrect use of the unit. For example, if a user fills thecompartment 11 directly without using the chamber 12, or if a userforgets to place the lid 32 in position.

In the preferred form, the top portion of the lid 32 fits into a centralrecess in the handle 22, as can best be seen in FIG. 6b . The lid 32 andthe handle 22 are sized so that the lid 22 will snap-fit and be held inplace in the handle 22 to form an integrated lid unit. The lid 22 can bedisengaged from the handle 32 by pressing on its top surface or similar.However, it is preferred that the snap-fit will keep them engaged innormal usage. £\s the handle recess and the lid 22 are circular, theycan easily rotate relative to one another when engaged. When the handle22 is rotated to disengage it from the integrated unit 6, it will rotateeasily relative to the lid 32 (which will not rotate easily due to theseal on the perimeter edge). When the handle 22 has been disengaged fromthe integrated unit 6, it can be lifted away from the integrated unit 6to remove both the handle 22 and the lid 32.

It should be noted that although a round chamber 12, lid 32 and alocking mechanism (lugs 27 and slots 26) have been described, andlocking/unlocking of the lid 32 is achieved by rotating the separatelocking handle 22, this is not the only way in which this effect can beachieved. If a different locking mechanism is used in place of the lugs27 and grooves 26, chambers with different profiles can be used in placeof the round chamber 12 described above. For example, spring loadedclips could be used, with the clips released by a button placed in aconvenient location, such as on a handle or on the outer surface of theintegrated unit 6. A hinged lid could also be used, with a clip andcomplimentary catch located on the lid and the blower unit, to hold thelid closed in use. Alternatively or as well as, the chamber lid 32 andthe locking handle 22 could be integrated as a single unit. This singleunit could either be separable from the integrated unit 6 or thehumidifier unit 31, or an integral part of it, for example a hinged lidsimilar to that suggested above. The intention of the lid 32 and handle22 in the arrangement described above is that a user can easily removethe lid 32 in order to access the chamber 12 for refilling or similar,and that a user can then easily replace the lid 32 and handle 22 to holdthe lid 32 and the chamber 12 in position inside the assisted breathingintegrated unit 6.

It should be noted that as outlined above, use of a round chamber 12,with a generally square profile integrated unit 6 allows an efficientuse of space so that the overall size of the integrated unit 6 can beminimised. This should be considered if using an alternative layout orlocking mechanism.

Control Knob

The preferred form of construction of the control knob assemblyincluding operable control knob 8, and attachment to the integrated unit6 will now be described with particular reference to FIG. 14. The knob 8is manipulable by a user to change the settings of the integrated unit.This is achieved by twisting and pushing the knob 8 to generate controlsignals.

In the preferred embodiment, the integrated unit 6 includes a removablemounting plate removable faceplate 37 that removably attaches onto thefront face of the integrated unit 6—e.g. by friction-fit push clips orsimilar, sufficient to hold the faceplate 37 in place in use or duringtransport, but allowing the faceplate 37 to be removed e.g. by pressinga knife blade under one side and twisting or similar. The faceplate 37includes an aperture that aligns with the control screen 9, so that thescreen can be viewed through the aperture in use. FIG. 14 shows aschematic cross-section of the front surface of the integrated unit 6,viewed from above. For clarity, the various elements shown in FIG. 8 areshown not in contact with one another. As shown in FIG. 14, the faceplate 37 includes a concave hollow, depression or recess 38, into whichthe knob 8 locates in use. The depression 38 is sized and shaped so thatthe knob 8 fits snugly. The bottom of the depression 38 contains afastening mechanism 39. In the preferred embodiment, the fasteningmechanism 39 is formed as an integral part of the plate 37. In thepreferred embodiment, the fastening mechanism 39 is a ring or crown ofspring fasteners or fastening clips 39, with their tips or upperportions 60 facing or pointing inwards. The fastening clips 39 arealigned perpendicular to the base of the depression 38. The knob 8 ismade up of a central, non-rotating portion or button 61 and an outer,rotatable portion or boss 62 that can be rotated either clockwise oranticlockwise by a user. The outer portion 62 is ring-shaped, with acentral aperture. The inner portion 61 has a T-shape in cross-section,with fasteners 63 integral with the upright of the T. In use, thefasteners 63 connect with the sprung fasteners 39 to hold the innerportion in position. The knob assembly is assembled by placing the outer(rotatable) portion 62 of the knob 8 in position in the depression 38,and then pushing the inner (non-rotatable) portion 61 into position. Theflat upper part of the inner portion acts as a flange to hold the outerportion 62 in position. In the preferred embodiment, the outer portion62 also has a slight central hollow, with the cross-portion of theT-section of the inner portion 62 fitting snugly into this hollow sothat the inner portion 61 and the outer portion 62 together form a flushouter surface.

What has been described above is the preferred form of fasteningmechanism to hold the knob 8 in position on the faceplate 37. However,any suitable fastening mechanism could be substituted for the onedescribed.

The knob 8, or more specifically the outer portion 62, is fitted with aring magnet 45. The outer portion 62 generally has the form of a hollowcup, with the open face facing inwards towards the centre of thedepression 38 in use. The ring magnet 45 is fitted running around theinside of the outer portion, just below the rim. The centre of the ringmagnet 45 is aligned with the axis of rotation of the knob 8. As theouter portion 62 rotates, the ring magnet 45 also rotates.

The front face or wall 50 of the assisted breathing or integrated unit 6is located behind the faceplate 37. The front face 50 includes anaperture 43, through which the rearmost part of the depression or recess38 passes in use. A connector board 44 is located just behind, andgenerally planar with, both the faceplate 37 and the front face 50 ofthe integrated unit 6. Magnetic or magnetised sections 46 are embeddedon the inner surface of the connector board 44. These are positioned toas to form a generally circular shape, corresponding to the ring magnet45, so that the magnetised sections 46 align with the ring magnet 45.The magnetic fields of the ring magnet 45 and the magnetised sections 46(detector magnetic components, or boss detector magnetic components)interact as the knob is rotated in use. Control circuitry and sensors(not shown) located within the blower unit 6 are connected to the ringmagnet 45 so that as the boss portion 62 of the knob 8 is turned it candetect the fluctuations of the interacting magnetic fields. In thepreferred form, the ring magnet 45 is continuous (that is, a continuousannular component), but divided into a number of discrete magneticsections (That is, there are no physical gaps between the sections). Thenumber of sections' can be varied depending on the number of positionsrequired. One advantage of using a ring magnet such as ring magnet 45 isthat is has discrete sections. This means that as the boss portion ofthe knob 8 is rotated, it will have a number of discrete positions,having preferred ‘rest’ positions as the fields of the magnetisedsections 46 and the fields of the sections of the ring magnet 45interact to reach an equilibrium point, an effect known as ‘cogging’.The outer portion 62 of the knob 8 will rest at these equilibrium pointsuntil acted on by an external force—e.g. a user exerting a rotationalforce on the rotatable outer portion 62 of knob 8. The knob 8 willtherefore tend to naturally ‘jump’ from one rest position to the next asit is rotated. As the relative positions of the magnets 45 and 46changes, the fluctuations of the relative magnetic fields changes isdetected by the sensors, and the results of the fluctuations are passedto the control circuitry 300 located inside the housing of therespirator 7 (e.g. located on the circuit board 44), which alters theoutput parameters of the integrated unit 6 according to pre-programmedresponses (e.g. altering the power to the heater base 23, fan speed,etc) as required by a user.

The preferred form of ring magnet 45 and magnetised sections 46 has beendescribed above. It should be noted that the positions of the ringmagnet 45 and magnetised sections 46 could be reversed. Also, the ringmagnet 45 could be composed of discrete sections, with gaps betweenthem. That is, an annular arrangement of individual magnetic components.Magnetised sections 46 have been described. These could be actualmagnets, or alternatively these could be electromagnetised elements thatact both as magnets and sensors to exert a cogging force and providepositioning feedback.

In the preferred embodiment, the knob 8 is also adapted to allow limitedmovement along its axis of rotation 51. That is, it can be pressedinwards to act as a button. This can be achieved in a number of ways.However, in the preferred embodiment, a spring (not shown) is placedinside the circle or crown of the preferred form of fastening mechanism39. When emplaced, this spring is slightly under compression, and pushesoutwards against the knob 8 so that it has a rest position when notdepressed and an operative position when depressed. When pressed inwardstowards the integrated unit 6, the spring is compressed slightly more,and will act to return the knob 8 to its initial position once thepressing force is removed. The centre of the knob 8 also holds a magnet48. A corresponding central magnet 49 (or button detector magneticcomponent) is located at the centre of the circle formed by sections 46.In a similar fashion to that described above, as the relative positionsof the magnets 48 and 49 changes, the fluctuations of the relativemagnetic fields are detected, and these changes are passed to a controlunit which varies the output parameters of the integrated unit 6accordingly. For example, using the arrangement described above, theknob 8 can be rotated clockwise and anticlockwise to scroll between menuoptions, and then pressed inwards to choose the option to which the userhas scrolled. The knob 8 can also be used as e.g. an on/off switch,either by scrolling to the required on/off menu choice and pressing, orby pressing and holding the knob in for a longer period than wouldnaturally occur if the unit 6 was accidentally knocked—for example 5seconds. Alternatively, the controls could be set so that a user isrequired to pull the knob 8 slightly out from the unit 6 to turn it off.

What has been described above is an assembly where the medical device(blower unit 7) includes a faceplate 37 which includes a recess, andwhich fits over the front face 50 of the blower 7. The faceplate isunbroken, in that there are no apertures or gaps through which moistureor dirt can enter the medical device. Also, the components external tothe blower 7 are not moisture or dirt sensitive, so if they get wet ordirty, their operational effectiveness is not adversely affected. Itshould be noted that what is described above is the preferredembodiment, and the principles of the operation could be applied equallywell to a device which does not include a separate faceplate, and whichhas a single flat face (i.e. no recess), with magnetic elements 46, 63located behind the face, and the control knob, boss, fasteningmechanism, etc located external to the face. It should also be notedthat another possible variation of the layout described above could alsobe used, with the front face 50 unbroken and including a recess, and thefaceplate including an aperture through which the control knob locatesinto the recess on the faceplate. It should also be noted that thefaceplate does not have to present at all, but is present in thepreferred forms.

Control Menu

The preferred form of display shown on the display panel 9 is shown inFIG. 15. In the preferred embodiment, the control menu as displayed onthe display 9 is a single layer menu, in order to keep the operation ofthe unit 6 simple. In the preferred embodiment, the display is an LCDdisplay, with a circular ring of options around the outside of thedisplay. As the knob 8 is rotated, each of the options will light up inturn. When the knob is depressed, that option will be chosen. Once anoption is chosen, for example ‘output power’, the level of thisparameter can be adjusted by rotating the knob 8 clockwise andanti-clockwise. A user can then exit this submenu and return to the mainmenu by, for example, tapping the knob inwards or pulling it outwards.The control circuitry can be programmed as required. Other options canbe pre-programmed as required. For example, pushing and holding in theknob 8 (or pulling it outwards and holding it out) could turn the unitoff. It is preferred that the discrete positions (the ‘cogging’positions) that the knob 8 reaches as it is rotated correspond todifferent menu options.

Blower Unit

The internal structure of the blower unit 7 will now be described withreference to FIGS. 5 and 7-11. In the preferred embodiment, heater base23 is located at the bottom of the compartment 11, as described above.It should be noted that the blower unit and humidification chamber couldbe configured so that the volume of water within the humidifier chamberis heated e.g. through the side walls. That is, contact with a heaterelement or unit through a heat conducting surface on the side wall ofthe chamber, rather than on the base of the chamber. This configurationwould achieve substantially the same effect. However, heating throughthe base is preferred for reasons of simplifying the chamberconstruction and overall operation of the heater/humidifier unit. When‘heater base’ is referred to in this specification, it should be takento mean heating through the base of the humidifier chamber, oralternatively the side walls.

As described above, the integrated unit 6 includes an inlet vent 101 todraw air in from atmosphere. The integrated unit 6 also includes amechanism and structure by which a pressurised air flow is provided fromthe inlet vent 101 to the humidifier chamber. The vent 101 can belocated wherever is convenient on the external surface of the integratedunit 6, but in the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, itis located on the rear face of the blower unit 7, on the right hand sideof the rear face (right hand side when looking forwards). In thepreferred embodiment, air is drawn in through the vent 101 by a fan unit100 which provides a pressurised gases stream through the blower unit 7.The pressurised gases stream is ducted or otherwise directed from theinlet vent 101 through the casing to the humidifier inlet port 13. Theair path and the ducting will be described in detail in the ‘Fan Unitand Air Path’ section below. In use, air exits the main body of theblower unit 7 via the inlet port 13 and enters the humidifier chamber12, where it is humidified and heated, before passing out of the chamber12 through the outlet port 14, which is directly connected to thepatient outlet 25. The heated humidified gas is then passed to the user3 via e.g. a conduit 21. The patient outlet 25 is adapted to enablepneumatic attachment of the patient conduit 21, and in the preferredembodiment, electrical connection at the outlet 25 is also enabled viaan electrical connector 19.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the inlet port 13 is offset. That is, theport is positioned facing into or out of the corner of the integratedunit 6 between the side wall and the front face. In contrast, outletport 14 is directly aligned with the rear wall of the integrated unit 6.It can also be seen that the circular compartment 11 is sized to justfit within the generally square plan view profile of the integrated unit6. Offsetting the inlet port 13 towards the corner allows a moreefficient use of the space within the assisted breathing integrated unit6, and allows the size of the integrated blower/humidifier unit 6 to beminimised.

Fan Unit

The fan unit and ducting of the preferred embodiment will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 5, 7-12 and 16. The fan unit 100 isintended to sit in the recess 400 shown in FIG. 5b . Air is drawn intothe fan unit 100 through an inlet vent 101. Once inside the housing, theair is then is drawn upwards into the casing of the fan unit 100 throughan aperture 110 in the centre of the casing of the fan unit 100, and isdirected outwards through a duct 120 (shown schematically as hiddendetail in FIG. 16) to the inlet 13. The duct 120 runs from the recess400 up between the side wall and the front wall of the integrated unit6. The air path through the fan unit is shown by arrows 130. In thepreferred embodiment, fan unit 100 is electromagnetically powered, withmagnetic segments 111 interacting with electromagnetic coils 112,located above the fan unit 100, as shown in FIG. 7. The fan 110 is heldin place by a bearing unit 113 that includes a spindle for the fan 110.

Fan Unit and Air Path

The fan unit and ducting of the preferred embodiment will now bedescribed with particular reference to FIGS. 8 to 12. A power supplysub-housing 500 is located within and integrated with the outer housingor outer shell of the breathing unit 7. The power supply sub-housing 500is a rectangular cuboid structure at the rear of the blower unit 7,integrated as part of the rear wall 80 of the blower unit 7. The cuboidsub-housing 500 shares one of its two largest faces with the rear wall80 of the blower unit 7 (although it should be noted that the outerdimensions of the sub-housing 500 are substantially less than thedimensions of the rear wall 80). The other large face 510 is common withthe fan recess 400, and the humidifier aperture 1000. The sub-housing500 is generally centrally located on the inner rear wall of the blowerunit 7. Once the unit is assembled, the sub-housing 500 is substantiallyclosed off from atmosphere and the rest of the internal volume of theouter shell of the blower unit 7, apart from small apertures necessaryfor external electrical connections or similar (not shown). The powersupply component board 501 is comprised of electrical componentsconnected to a mother board, and slotted into the space within thesub-housing 500 during assembly. It is not necessary to detail orindividually number all of the components used to make up the powersupply component board 501, as the make-up and variations of theconstruction of power supply boards is well-known in the art. However,it should be noted that these components generate heat during use, whichcannot dissipate or vent to atmosphere due to the power supply beingenclosed. This heat therefore builds up, potentially leading to lessefficient operation. It is preferred that the sub-housing 500 is sealedor enclosed in the sub-housing 500 in this manner in order to protectthe components of the power supply component board 501, so that dirt,moisture or similar cannot enter the sub-housing 500. However, the powersupply component board could be merely located within the externalcasing or shell of the blower unit 7. It should be noted that when‘power supply’ or ‘power supply unit’ are referred to in thisspecification, this means either the power supply sub-housing 500, thepower supply component board 501, or both together.

In order to help reduce the temperature of the sub-housing 500 and thetemperature of the components of the power supply component board 501 inthe sub-housing 500, air from atmosphere is drawn into the housing bythe fan unit 100 and then ducted directly over the power supply unitsub-housing 500 to cool the power supply component board 501. It ispreferred that the air is ducted over the sub-housing 500 directly afterit enters the outer housing of the integrated unit 6, as the air will beat its coolest at this point—direct from the atmosphere. In order tomost effectively cool the power supply component board 501 and thesub-housing 500, the air is ducted over the greatest possible surfacearea of the sub-housing 500, while still maintaining the integrity andoperation of the integrated unit 6, and still maintaining a practicalcompact and integrated design.

Air from atmosphere is drawn in through the air inlet vent 101, the sideof which is substantially the same height as one of the sidewalls of thesub-housing 500. In the preferred embodiment, the inlet 101 is directlynext to the sub-housing 500. It should also be noted that in thepreferred form, the height of the air inlet 101 is substantially thesame as the dimension of the neighbouring wall 502. The air entering theexternal shell through the inlet 101 therefore immediately contacts theside wall 502 of the sub-housing 500. This first contact is made acrosssubstantially the entire surface area of the wall, as the heightdimension of the neighbouring vent 101 is substantially the same as theheight or length of the wall 502. This has the advantage that all theair contacting this wall will be at atmospheric temperature as itcontacts the wall. The air is then drawn by the fan 100 upwards andacross the top wall 503 of the sub-housing 500, passing across or overthe entire outer surface area of the top wall 503. The air is thenducted down the other, or inner side wall 504 of the sub-housing 500,passing across the entire outer surface area of wall 504. It should benoted that the walls of the sub-housing 500 are as thin as is practicalin order to minimise their insulating effect, and maximise heat transferbetween the air flow and the power supply board. The air is then drawninwards, away from the power supply, along the curved path 505, throughaperture 506 into the recess 400 and then into the fan unit 100. Air isdrawn into the fan unit 100 through aperture 110, and is then directedoutwards through a plenum chamber or duct 120 inside the blower 7 to theinlet 13 (duct 120 is shown schematically and for the purposes ofillustration only as hidden detail in FIG. 16. The representation of theduct 120 as shown in FIG. 16 does not necessarily match the actual pathor size of the duct). The duct 120 runs from the recess 400 up betweenthe right side wall (from behind looking forwards) and the front wall ofthe integrated unit 6, up to the blower inlet port 13.

It can be seen that for an outer casing with a sub-housing 500 and airpath configured in this manner, air passes over the entire surface areaof three walls (502, 503, 504) of the sub-housing 500, substantiallyadding to the cooling of the power supply component board 501. This isthe most preferred configuration of the cooling path, as manufacture inthis configuration allows repeatability and a high number of unitswithin design tolerance, while minimising costs. It has been found thatthis configuration gives the most efficient use of both space and aircooling, allowing a good degree of cooling, while still ensuring theunit 6 can be configured compactly to minimise footprint. It should benoted that if the power supply component board 501 is not enclosed in asub-housing, the cooling air can be ducted directed over the board andthe components thereon.

Other configurations are possible. For example, the air could be ductedalong a space between the large wall 510 of the sub-housing 500, and therear wall of the humidifier aperture 1000. However, in order to makethis configuration work effectively, without the air in this spacestagnating, the gap between the fan recess 400 and the power supplysub-housing 500 has to be over a certain size, and this can detract fromthe overall compact nature of the overall structure. Furthermore, it canadd to the manufacturing difficulty. It should also be noted that theblower unit could be redesigned to allow the air path to pass over thelower wall of the sub-housing, as well as or instead of, the side andupper walls.

As described above, the sub-housing 500 is located at the rear of theblower unit 7. It could of course be located anywhere suitable, such asthe sides or base, with the air ducting and inlet configured and locatedaccordingly. The rear is preferred as this configuration allows theother elements of the blower unit to be configured to minimize theoverall device ‘footprint’.

In the most preferred form, the outer surfaces of the walls 502, 503 and504 are ribbed, in order to increase the surface area available forcooling, and to aid in heat dissipation by acting in a similar manner toheat sinks. Also, in the most preferred form, air flows over at leasttwo and preferably three walls of the sub-housing 500 in order tomaximise the cooling.

Carry Case

As has been noted above, one problem that can occur when a user packstheir breathing assistance apparatus in a case for travel is forgettingto empty the humidifier chamber, and the contents may then spill duringtravel, causing at least inconvenience. It is a long felt want by usersof domestic breathing assistance apparatus that this problem isaddressed.

In the preferred embodiment, a carry case 600 is used with theintegrated unit 6 described above to help overcome this problem. When auser wishes to pack their breathing assistance device for transport, thecarry case 600 can be used.

The carry case 600 is shown in FIGS. 18-20. The carry case 600 is formedfrom a rigid plastic in the preferred embodiment. The case 600 in thepreferred form comes in two parts or halves, an upper half 604 and alower half 605 (‘half’ is used in this context as a term of convenienceand does not necessarily indicate that the upper and lower halves arerequired to be exactly or even close to the same size). In the closedposition, the carry case 600 has one generally flat end 601, with theopposite end 602 coming to a rounded point when viewed side on. It ispreferred that end 602 includes a handle 609 to aid a user intransporting the case 600. In the preferred form, the handle 609 isformed when the case is closed, the upper and lower halves 604, 605including apertures which align to form one aperture when the case isclosed, a user gripping the handle portion thus formed. The parts thatform the handle are preferably rounded, and sized to facilitate theiracting as a handle. The case 600 can be stood upright and rested on theflat end, or end base 601, in use. Alternatively, the carry case can berested on the side base 603 which forms the lower side of the lower half605. It should be noted that ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ are only directionalindicators when the. carry case 600 is resting on the side base 603. Thetwo halves are connected by hinges—the upper half 604 attached to thelower half 605 so that the case can be opened by e.g. rotating orpivoting the upper half 605 relative to the stationary lower half 605,with the case 600 resting on side base 603, for packing or unpacking. Inthe fully closed position, the edges of the two come together to enclosea volume of space or an internal volume of the case. The hinges areadapted to allow the two halves a full range of movement—e.g.substantially 180 degrees of rotation relative to one another. Thisallows the upper half 604 to be rotated far enough that its outersurface can rest on the same surface as the lower half 605, for examplea table or similar, and a user can freely access the inside of the case.In the preferred embodiment, the hinges 610 are located at the flat end601, and form part of the flat base in use. The inside containspackaging or padding 606, in the preferred form including a pocket orrecess 608 formed by moulding and shaping the padding 606, so that thepocket 608 conforms generally to the external shape and dimensions ofthe blower unit 7, so that at least the lower portion of the blower unitcan be placed in the recess 608 in the packaging 606 in an uprightposition, with the packaging or padding 606 partially enclosing at leastthe lower portion of the blower unit 7, to hold the blower unit 7securely in position during transport. As described above, the preferredform of chamber 31 is a top fill chamber with a removable lid 32. Toprevent the user from inadvertently packing their integrated unit 6 awaywith chamber 31 still partially full and containing liquid, the carrycase 600 is adapted in the following manner so that the case 600 cannotbe closed fully if the lid 32 is still in position on the chamber 31. Itshould be noted that different forms of the carry case could be used totransport other types of systems that provide heated, humidified gasesto a user. For example, systems that have push fit chambers filledthrough their inlets or outlets, rather than through a top fillaperture.

When the user needs to transport their integrated blower/humidifierunit, the user packs the integrated unit 6 in the carry case 600 byplacing the integrated unit 6 in recess 608 in the packaging 606, therecess 608 shaped to enclose at least the base of the integrated unit 6.It is intended that the case 600 is as compact as possible. This helps auser to transport their unit as, for example, hand luggage on anaircraft, as it can be fitted in an overhead locker. Therefore, in thepreferred form, the humidifier chamber 31 is located in the sameposition in which it is used in the blower 7, and not in a separaterecess: The upper half 604 of the case 600 includes at least oneprotrusion 607 extending inwards from the inner surface of the upperhalf 604 (i.e. downwards towards lower half 605). The at least oneprotrusion 607 is sized and shaped so that the upper half and lower half604, 605 cannot be brought fully together (i.e. the case 600 cannot beclosed) when the humidifier chamber lid 32 is still in position on thechamber 31. When the humidifier chamber lid 31 is removed, theprotrusion or protrusions 607 fit down inside the chamber 31. The lid 32therefore has to be removed from the chamber 31 before the carry case600 can be shut. It is preferred that the separate handle 22 can belocated onto the blower unit 7, with the protrusion or protrusions 607extending past the handle 22 to extend downwards into the chamber 31.The carry case 600 is preferably adapted to include an internal pocketor similar—e.g. in the packaging 606—which the user can use to store thelid 32 for travel.

It is preferred that the carry case can also be fitted with a strap orstraps, to allow it to be carried in the same manner that a daysac orsmall knapsack would be carried, or slung over one shoulder and carriedby one strap.

It should be noted that blower unit 7 is used as an example for theabove described preferred form of carry case. In other, alternativeforms, the carry case is adapted to carry respiratory humidificationsystems of the type where the humidifier chamber and the blower unitrigidly mate. In this alternative form, the padding includes a firstpocket and a second pocket. The first pocket is adapted to enclose atleast the base of the blower unit, and the second pocket is adapted toat least partly enclose the humidifier chamber. The two pockets areseparate, so that the humidifier chamber must be disconnected from theblower before the chamber and the blower can be placed in theirrespective pockets. That is, the blower and the chamber cannot be matedto be correctly stored in the case in their respective pockets. Theinner surface of the upper half includes a protrusion, facing inwards.When the case is closed, the protrusion locates into a space adjacent tothe blower pocket, and ensures that the blower cannot be placed into thefirst pocket with the chamber rigidly mated to the blower, and the lidthem closed. The protrusion will interfere with the chamber if a userattempts to close the lid while the chamber is in position on theblower.

LIST OF FEATURES

-   1. Prior art blower-   2. Prior art chamber-   3. User/Patient-   4. User interface-   5. Prior art integrated blower/humidifier-   6. Integrated unit of the invention-   7. Blower of the invention-   8. Control knob-   9. Display-   10. Chamber seal-   11. Humidifier compartment-   12. Humidifier chamber-   13. Blower inlet port-   14. Blower outlet port-   15. Humidifier chamber port (inlet)-   16. Humidifier chamber port (outlet)-   17.-   18.-   19. Electrical connector-   20.-   21. Prior art conduit from chamber to patient-   22. Locking handle-   23. Heater base-   24. Rim of humidifier compartment-   25. Patient outlet (connector)-   26. Mating locking grooves-   27. Mating lugs-   28. Entry point of locking grooves-   29.-   30. Grip-   31. Humidifier unit of the invention-   32. Humidifier chamber lid-   33. Ledge-   34. Entry passage-   35. Baffle-   36. Exit Passage-   37. Front faceplate-   38. Depression-   39. Mechanical fastener—clips-   40.-   41. Prior art conduit between blower and chamber-   42.-   44. Connector Board-   45. Ring magnet-   46. Magnetised sections-   47.-   48. Magnet-   49. Magnet-   50. Front face of (7)-   51. Axis of rotation-   52.-   53.-   54.-   55.-   56.-   60. Fastener tips-   61. Button-   62. Boss-   63. Fasteners-   70. Silicone seal-   80. Rear wall-   100. Fan unit-   101. Air inlet vent-   102.-   103.-   104.-   105.-   106.-   107.-   108.-   109.-   110. Fan entry aperture-   111. Magnetic segments-   112. Coils-   113. Bearing unit-   120. Duct-   121. Blower exit-   130. Air path-   200. Air entry passage-   201. Exit aperture-   202. Umbrella portion-   300. Control circuitry-   400. Recess-   500. Power supply sub-housing-   501. Power supply board-   502. Sub housing side wall (outer)-   50.3. Sub housing top wall-   504. Sub housing side wall (inner)-   505. Curved path-   506. Aperture-   510. Sub housing range face-   600. carry case-   601. carry case flat end-   602. carry case pointed end-   604. carry case upper half-   605. carry case lower half-   606. carry case packaging-   607. carry case lid protrusion-   608. carry case recess-   609. carry case handle-   610. carry case hinges-   1000. Aperture

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A humidifier system comprising: an outlet forproviding heated humidified gases to a user, a connector coupled to theoutlet, the connector adapted to allow both pneumatic and electricalconnections between an assisted breathing unit and an outlet conduit,and wherein the connector comprises an elbow rotatable about the outlet.16. The humidifier system of claim 15, wherein the connector comprisesan electrical connector parallel to a pneumatic connector.
 17. Thehumidifier system of claim 15, further comprising an outer housing. 18.The humidifier system of claim 17, wherein the connector is coupled tothe outer housing.
 19. The humidifier system of claim 15, furthercomprising the assisted breathing unit.
 20. The humidifier system ofclaim 19, wherein the assisted breathing unit comprises a humidifierchamber.
 21. The humidifier system of claim 20, wherein the outlet is anoutlet of the humidifier chamber, and the connector is coupled to theoutlet of the humidifier chamber.
 22. The humidifier system of claim 15,wherein the connector faces upwards in use for ease of connection withthe outlet conduit.
 23. The humidifier system of claim 15, furthercomprising the outlet conduit.
 24. An integrated blower andhumidification system comprising: an outlet for providing heatedhumidified gases to a user, a connector coupled to the outlet, theconnector adapted to allow both pneumatic and electrical connectionsbetween an assisted breathing unit and an outlet conduit, and whereinthe connector comprises an elbow rotatable about the outlet.
 25. Theintegrated blower and humidification system of claim 24, wherein theconnector comprises an electrical connector parallel to a pneumaticconnector.
 26. The integrated blower and humidification system of claim24, further comprising an outer housing, wherein the connector iscoupled to the outer housing.
 27. The humidifier system of claim 24,further comprising the assisted breathing unit.
 28. The integratedblower and humidification system of claim 27, wherein the assistedbreathing unit comprises a humidifier chamber.
 29. The integrated blowerand humidification system of claim 28, wherein the outlet is an outletof the humidifier chamber, and the connector is coupled to the outlet ofthe humidifier chamber.
 30. The integrated blower and humidificationsystem of claim 24, wherein the connector faces upwards in use for easeof connection with the outlet conduit.
 31. The integrated blower andhumidification system of claim 24, further comprising the outletconduit.
 32. A connector for connecting an integrated humidificationsystem to an outlet conduit for providing heated humidified gases to auser, the connector comprising: a pneumatic connector adapted to allow apneumatic connection between the integrated humidification system andthe outlet conduit, an electrical connector adapted to allow aelectrical connection between the integrated humidification system andthe outlet conduit, and wherein the connector is configured to becoupled to an outlet of the integrated humidification system, whereinthe connector comprises an elbow rotatable about the outlet.
 33. Theconnector of claim 32, wherein the electrical connector is parallel tothe pneumatic connector.
 34. The humidifier system of claim 32, furthercomprising the outlet conduit.